Flora of New Zealand Series

plectranthus

Herb or subshrub with stems trailing or straggling and densely clothed in purple hairs. Petioles 2-3.5 cm long, purple. Lamina 5-12 × 3.5-7 cm, broad-ovate, shining, purple below, dotted with glands, hairy, especially on veins, ciliate and serrate, except near narrow-cuneate base; apex acute. Infl. racemose, to 30 cm long, erect, sometimes with short lateral branches near base; peduncles and pedicels with purple hairs. Bracts ovate, acuminate, with purple cilia, otherwise almost glabrous. Calyx 3-5 mm long, accrescent, ciliate; upper lip ovate; lower lip with linear-subulate teeth. Corolla white with purple dots inside lower lip; tube 8-10 mm long; base ± saccate; upper lip 10-12 mm long, 2-lobed with small lateral lobes; lower lip c. 8 mm long, boat-shaped, ± horizontal. Stamens free at base, ± exserted, longest c. 8 mm long. Style 8-10 mm long, exserted. Nutlets c. 1.5 mm diam., ± subglobose, dark brown.

N.: locally abundant; S.: around Karamea (Buller).

E. South Africa 1975

Shady areas in and around forest margins, plantations and hedges.

FL Dec-Aug.

Plectranthus was introduced for cultivation, probably as a trailing pot plant, and is still widely grown in gardens and houses. N.Z. material is uniform, with the lvs always purple below; it usually spreads vegetatively by runners so all plants may belong to one or few similar clones.